Greenhouse Gas Inventory released

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The Ministry for Environment has released New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the official annual estimate of all human-induced emissions and removals of greenhouse gasesin New Zealand. The Inventory spans 1990–2015, and forms part of New Zealand’s international reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

New Zealand’s gross emissions were 0.1 per cent lower in 2015 compared with 2014, but emissions per person were the seventh highest among the 41 industrialised countries which took commitments under the UNFCC.

Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett said the Inventory “shows gross emissions have remained stable since 2003 and declined in 2015, as New Zealand is becoming more carbon efficient.”

The Green Party have been critical of the results of the Inventory, claiming that this reduction is attributable to a fall in production resulting from drought and lower milk prices, rather than proactive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“National is like a possum stuck in headlights. It knows it has to respond to climate change […] but they’ve no idea what to do or which way to go,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

“For National to meet its own climate targets, pollution needs to decline by more than two per cent every year. This 0.1 per cent drop shows they’re currently way off track.”

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